"Though early election are not in the interest of the masses, at the same time, we're preparing to face it. The LJP will go it alone. There is no meaning of the UPA in Bihar," the union chemicals and fertiliser and steel minister told newspersons in Patna on Sunday.
In the 2004 general election, the RJD had joined hands with the Congress and the LJP to defeat the JD(U)-BJP alliance in Bihar. The "secular" alliance came up with an impressive performance, with the RJD alone bagging 23 of the 40 Lok Sabha seats, while the LJP won four seats. The NDA had to rest content with a mere 10 seats.
In the assembly elections held a year later, Mr Paswan, however, severed his ties with the RJD and contested it alone. This became one of the crucial factors in ensuring the RJD's defeat.
Source: The Economic Times , 9th Oct,2007
